End of Month View December 2017

/ karen

Tucked up in bed with the flu, I have my i-pad balanced on a heap of rugs. I am shivering like a new born lamb. My garden in December isn’t making me feel any warmer. Snow features in most of the photos. I won’t attempt to add too many words. I doubt they would make much sense at the moment. I just want to send a cheery wave to you and wish you a wonderful, Happy New Year. Wishing all your dreams for a peaceful, happy and prosperous new year come true. Much love- karen xx

Luckily, just when I need some cheer, there’s viola odorata flowering at the garden gate. A much loved cutting from my Grandfather Ted Foulds. They are all over my garden now. A happy reminder of such a lovely man.

By the front door there’s more flowers. Iris unguicularis. A reliable winter-flowering joy.

There’s plenty of Paperwhite Narcissi. I planted them in tall glass vases for Christmas. I wrote about them Here .

And then there was snow. And -7C temperatures. Our windswept top of the hill garden took a battering. Here’s the frozen pond.

View through the pergola to the shady shelter.

And the view from the end of the garden.

Looking towards the village

Trees on the ridge. A favourite view.

And after all that snow, here’s what I’m hoping for in 2018- lots of colour; roses and peonies, tulips and daffodils and cut flowers galore!

The scent! Roses from my plot and a wreath for the summerhouse.

Thanks to Steve at glebehouse garden for hosting this meme. Go over and see what others are posting for their end of month view.

Enjoy your New Year’s celebrations! Much love- karen xx

64 thoughts on “End of Month View December 2017”

  1. I’m sure you’ve bounced back by now Karen… Wishing you a year full of botanical delights, creative joys and great company…Looking forward to reading your garden musing and drooling over your stellar photos : ) xx

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  5. The views from your gaden are wonderful even/especially in the snow, Karen. Are you tucked up at home, or at your Mum’s? I do hope you are on the mend now, and looking forward to another gardening year

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    • Hi Cathy. I’ve managed to get out of bed today. That feels like an achievement. Do hope you and your family don’t catch this awful bug. It’s really going round everyone here. I’m back home now and my brothers are looking after mum. Much love- karen xx

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      • That’s good, but take it easy. Your Mum has it too? Do send her my best wishes. I have just found out that at least one person in each of our 3 neighbours’ houses have been in bed since Christmas with whatever lurgy it is that is going round – we are unscathed, but despite my iron constitution I shouldn’t be complacent…

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      • Thank you Cathy. I’m sure your healing thoughts have helped us. It’s so unlike us to take to our beds. Surprised how poorly we have all been. Do take care. xx

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  6. Oh I’m sorry to read that you are under the weather Karen and wish you a speedy recovery. Warm drinks, a cosy wrap and copious seed catalogues are prescribed. Take care and best wishes for a happy and healthy new year.

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    • Thank you so much Anna. Your kind thoughts are much appreciated. I’ve got a little pile of seed catalogues by my bed and I keep looking longingly at them. Can’t wait to get plotting and planning- and out there!!! Love karen x

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    • Oh dear. So sorry to hear that. Do hope you feel better soon too. We are still not up and about. Not like us at all. Just a matter of keeping warm and being patient. happy New Year. Love karen x

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      • Thank you, I am a little better today. I am glad you are up. It does seem to take an age to get over this sort of thing. I can’t wait to see if my witch hazels are in bloom yet, I haven’t been down the garden for a week.

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      • I can lean out of my bedroom window and see a large patch of early snowdrops in full bloom. And in the background there’s a red witch hazel. I can’t go and look yet though. Something I will enjoy all the more when I can get outside. don’t over do things when you get going xx

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    • Thank you. Happy New Year Alison. Surprised to find that we still can’t get up and get going today. What a horrible bug. Thanks for your lovely kind words which have cheered me today. Missing our outings and tea and cake 🍰See you when I’m better xx

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    • Thank you Denzil. I’m sipping hot lemon and honey water and hugging the cat to keep warm. Thank you for your good wishes. Happy New Year to you and yours. Best wishes for 2018 x

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    • Thank you Mike. It’s a truly awful bug. We are just keeping ourselves to ourselves and not spreading it about. I shall be glad when I can actually get out of bed. Meanwhile the cat is keeping me warm and there’s hot honey water to drink. Thanks for reading and for your kind comments. Best wishes for 2018. Much love karen x

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    • Thank you Eliza. It’s really knocked me off my feet. Luckily we were ok for Christmas and I didn’t let anyone down with the cooking and everything. Phew. I’m not a very patient patient! Best wishes for you for 2018. happy New Year xx

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  18. Oh Karen! I’m so sorry you are poorly. Please look after yourself. Rest & keep taking the tablets. I’m full of cold at the moment too. Ty, beautiful photos in your blog. Happy New Year my lovely. Here’s to a clean page on a new chapter. X

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    • Oh no, sorry to hear that Annie. Keep warm and keep hydrated. I’m really sad I’ve had to cancel going on the radio for a few weeks. Can’t go spreading it around in the studio. Wouldn’t be right. We had such a happy time there over Christmas. Such fun. Never mind I’ll soon be up and about. A very happy New Year to you and yours. Love karen xx

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    • Yes they do here too. But my favourites are the old fashioned highly scented violet violets. I wonder if I can send you some seed. I’ll check the rules for posting seed abroad and get back to you…..

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      • Oh, than you, but please do not bother. The white ones would just crowd them out. I am beyond planting more violets now, and will be happy with what I have. A few years ago, I would have swooped on it because I could not find them. If only I had started out with them! I like white, but it is not a good color for violets.

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    • Thank you so much. Happy New Year. Hugs much appreciated. I must admit, I’m feeling a bit sorry for myself this morning. I want to get out in the potting shed and sort my seed packets. Sigh 😔 xx

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  23. Karen my first wish is that you heal yourself very soon and recover all your strength. The photos are magnificent. The Viola odorata is beautiful and even more so if it is from your Grandfather. The Iris is very beautiful like the Papervhite Daffodils. Your garden I love all snowy, the frozen pond, the trees without leaves and the snowy fields and in the background the town: a beautiful picture. My second wish for you in 2018 is the beautiful basket of flowers and the third wish for you the divine crown of roses. May the New Year 2018 bring to you and yours a lot of health, peace, love and that all your wishes be fulfilled. Karen that 2018 brings you much gardening that many flowers of all kinds and wonderful perfumes: and not just flowers, berries, apples, and everything you have planted. To make your delicious sweets and cakes! A lot of affection from me for your Mother. Karen all my love in this 2018 for you. Very loving greetings from Margarita.

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    • Thank you Margarita. Such lovely kind words. Much appreciated. Thank you for all your kind wishes. I’m sending them back to you also. Wishing all the very best for you and your family in 2018. Health, happiness and peace and love to you and your family. Loving greetings from karen and Mum xxx

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